Postcode lottery on food hygiene

A new Which? investigation has revealed the areas with the worst food hygiene ratings, and the popular food chains with too many branches diners may want to avoid.

We looked at more than 2,000 postcodes and uncovered wide variations in the quality of food hygiene ratings between different places and high street chains. The news comes as three quarters of people (75%) surveyed by Which? said they wouldn’t eat at a food outlet that received a food hygiene rating below ‘generally satisfactory’.

We found Bexley in Greater London had six of the ten worst postcodes studied, with the worst postcode in the country, DA7, having nearly half of the eateries inspected (45%) rated as lower than ‘generally satisfactory’.

In comparison, Birmingham’s B35 area came top, with none of the food outlets inspected in the area receiving a below ‘generally satisfactory’ score.

Our investigation also looked at the big high street food chains and found that the average score was typically ‘generally satisfactory’ or above, however some chains had a higher percentage of branches with poor scores.

In the restaurant category, one in five (18%) La Tasca outlets inspected were found to have a rating less than ‘generally satisfactory’, one in seven (13%) Little Chefs inspected had low ratings.

Three in ten (29%) Chicken Cottage and a quarter (26%) of Dixy Chicken takeaway shops inspected were rated below ‘generally satisfactory’.

A number of convenience stores also had around a fifth of their outlets inspected rated less than ‘generally satisfactory’ (Best In/One (22%), Costcutter (21%), Premier (21%) and Londis (20%)).

In comparison, some major chains had no poor scores recorded at all, including Carluccio’s, Eat, Marriot Hotels, Premier Inn and Zizzi. Nearly all (95%) of the people we asked believe it should be mandatory for a hygiene rating score to be clearly displayed.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said:

“Our investigation shows that food hygiene is an unacceptable postcode lottery. Diners shouldn’t be taking a risk with their health simply by choosing the wrong area in which to eat out. We want everywhere that serves food to the public to display their hygiene score prominently so people can make an informed choice.”

Which? has some handy advice on how to claim your money back if you’re poorly following a meal out. Visit our consumer rights website to find out more.

Notes for editors:

1          We looked at the Food Standards Agency’s food hygiene ratings in more than 2,000 postcodes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales from January 2011 to March 2013. Scotland’s ratings are not comparable. There isn’t data for all local authorities and not all eateries are inspected. Some brands are franchised or independently run, including Best In/One, Chicken Cottage, Costcutter, Favorite, Londis, Nisa, Perfect Pizza, Pizza GoGo, Premier and Spar.

2          Hygiene ratings cover a range of food outlets restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, hotels, and other places you eat out. Supermarkets and other food shops are also included in the scheme. Food outlets are inspected by environmental health officers and are given a hygiene rating ranging from zero to five, with five being ‘very good’ and zero classed as ‘urgent improvement necessary’. A score of three is described as ‘generally satisfactory’. More information can be found at ratings.food.gov.uk.

3          We carried out a survey of 2,000 members of the UK public and asked them for their views on hygiene rating. The survey was carried out 28^th-31^st March 2013.

Best postcodes inspected:

Worst postcodes inspected:

Fast food & takeaway:

Convenience stores:

Press Release: Consumer, Consumer Rights, Food